Alumna Hannah Returns to OSFC
Alumna Hannah Askari returned to OSFC on Wednesday 1st May, to gauge students' opinions on levelling up in Oldham. Hannah left OSFC in 2012 after completing A Levels in English Language, Textiles and History, taught by current Principal Suzannah Reeves. She then went on to study a degree in History at Queen Mary, University of London. Hannah currently works for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as a Senior Policy Advisor and is currently working on the Levelling Up Partnerships Programme.
Announced at Spring Budget 2023, the Levelling Up Partnerships programme works with 20 local authorities across England to understand the needs of each place and make change. As part of this, Oldham (and also Rochdale) will receive funding up to £20 million to invest in projects addressing local need, improving opportunities for residents and making the town a better place to live and work.
Hannah met with eleven aspiring geographers and our current Oxbridge Humanities group. Students shared their views on living and studying in Oldham as well as their likes and dislikes about the town. Other topics discussed included what would they change about Oldham, what would they like Oldham to look like in 10 years time and if they could fund any project in the town what would it be.
Hannah also spoke to students about her academic journey and what it is like to work for the government, having not initially studied Geography as a subject, but building up crucial transferable skills that allowed her to enter her chosen career path. In the session with our Oxbridge Humanities’ students, Hannah, and 3 of her colleagues, talked about their routes into the civil service, how their careers have evolved, and the pros and cons of working for the government. They answered provocative questions from the group, such as ‘what do you do when you don’t agree with a policy that you have been asked to implement?’. Their answers offered a fascinating insight into how political decisions are made and then implemented in the UK.
This visit was beneficial for our geography students as it links with their coursework they have been completing looking into the regeneration of Oldham.
It was great to be back at OSFC speaking with students about their (and my) hometown! The geography students shared such fascinating insights and ideas about where they live, and it was wonderful to see so many interested in pursuing humanities subjects after Sixth Form. Thanks for having me back!
(Hannah Askari)
It was fantastic to welcome Hannah and her colleagues to speak to our Oxbridge Group. At this stage of their education, students don’t always think about the civil service as a career path, but there are so many multifarious and fascinating opportunities in working for the government, so it was great to have civil service roles demystified.
(Richard Lee, Assistant Principal and Oxbridge Group Lead Coordinator)
It was lovely to invite Hannah back to OSFC, to share her story and career journey. Our focus is always on transforming lives in our community - it’s what drives us to provide the very best education we can for our students. Seeing one of our former students, whom I had the pleasure of teaching, go on to succeed so well, and give back to their community, was a real pleasure.
(Suzannah Reeves, Principal)
